Hate to see you go and all, but, listen, since you're on the way out ...

Yesterday at 5 PM Mass, the priest told the story of how, during a World's Fair in the 1930s, it was possible to spend 25 cents to touch a pile of 1,000,000 one dollar bills. In the other thread, you offered to "go all Oprah on our asses", so in that spirit, please, please give me 1,000,000 points before you go, even if only briefly. I may never again get to touch that kind of useless greatness again.

But, in all seriousness, I've appreciated your levity most of all. Going to miss not having you to kick around anymore, Mr. Nixon.

I'm not sure what can be done about message boards in general. There's a pretty fine line between bringing up criticisms and bitching unnecessarily, and everyone has a different idea of where it is. That means every time there's a legitimate critique, the thread gets clogged up with people telling them to STFU, and whining posts just serve to clog the board up.

I honestly think that bringing back post voting that means something and higher thresholds to create posts would go a long way, but who knows.

Agree on the actual downvoting. I feel like there were just as many silly posts in the old days, but people who did it perpetually eventually left and/or were easier to spot. A simple -1 may not have been enough to get rid of em0 or others who were way worse than this knucklehead today. This also puts more pressure on the mods to delete threads and be the bad guy.

I do like the idea in the sense that it gives users more control, but don't you think it will lead to the mob mentality? We all know which opinions are popular here and which ones are not, but that doesn't necessarily promote a discussion. It seems like reasonable posts which disagree with the majority will be downvoted not because they are objectively bad posts, but because people don't agree with them.

For example - the thread that sparked this was stupid (bringing up RichRod, calling for Borges' head, the general grammatical errors) and got downvoted to hell. But would a reasonable thread phrased more in the tone of, "Do you think Hoke/Borges did the right thing by..." get downvoted as well?

I don't think it was ever that much of a problem. Even the thread today ended up being a clusterfuck because it got deleted and then the guy came right back and posted an even bitchier version that blamed the mods for Russell Bellomy's lack of accuracy (I think that was the gist of it). If his point total just rapidly dwindled below the posting minimum that would have been the end of it without any need for mod intervention.

There will always be overreaction one way or the other and even established posters can be prone to rants, but I think people who are consistently informed and reasonable will never get the kind of massive point drops that cause problems or prevent posting. It also maybe encourages more lingering and reputation building than just allowing people to make 100 innocuous posts and then start douching it up with abandon. The harsh public refutation of trolling also serves as the head on a stick at the MGoBlog gates and, at least based on my remembered version of the past, was fairly effective at removing long-term problems.

Good point. I wasn't around for the old points system so I don't know the dynamics of it, just the rules. I really like the idea that 1 post doesn't automatically equal one point.

Maybe we go another route and instead of getting everyone riled up by docking their points, we set up a separate MGoBlog where terrible posters are automatically redirected to for the rest of eternity after making a god awful post. It could be like Australia is to Britain. Maybe they'd even develop funny accents!

One problem with the old system was that it created a lot of silly point driven content and meta activity that didn't have much to do with Michigan sports.

I like the karma model. Mods could lessen their lode by upping karma where sportminded comments are given. Points were an interesting model. Massive meltdowns need to have consequences that don't require a mods intervention.

I can't imagine moderation in the same house as a new born.

"When it got down to the nitty gritty, we pounded it in there the old fashioned way and... um ... I like that."

I wl miss bisb but Purplestuff is 100% on the money. With actual down voting in place WE could police the joint pretty damn effectively. It's the lack of punitive power for the blog as a whole that created your need to intervene constantly with asshats like today.

Another idea would be to put a cap on upvotes (say, 5), but not on downvotes. That would limit the number of circle-jerk type comments that were made under the old system for the purpose of farming points, while allowing users to ruthlessly downvote the em0's of the world into Bolivian.

It would take a lot of pressure off of the mods, because any jack off who spam posts just to get to the point where they can post shitty threads would be dealt with quickly and efficiently by the community. Mods could then focus on more important mod-things, rather than having to police every mgoidiot with a half baked opinion and 100 points.

I'm pretty sure Brian said that after the football season is over he's going to work on bringing back the old points system. I may be wrong though. And it is sad to see BiSB go. I have a ton of respect for your work that you've done, and I know I wouldn't have lasted as long as you did. Enjoy your retirement.

Any more than one post on this would be fruitless: Check any thread and its voting details: he's almost always the first responder, usually within 15 minutes and definitely within the hour. He tries to be the n00b whisperer, rather than letting people learn to fend for themselves and google/wikipedia/MGosearch for themselves, which he should know all about...since the bulk of his posts are unoriginal copy/pastes of things he's taken the unnecessary time to look up and post here. Just by looking at a thread title I can tell if it'll have 10 posts from him (anything having to do with hockey, softball, or an autistic liking for rules/policy/rankings) before opening it.

I noticed these things because after two years of it, you have to investigate the source of your suffocation. I think he's a volume poster and is on MGoBlog too much, too often, and too evidenced. Now I'm aware of a script that can hide the 20+posts/day he comes up with, and suddenly the air is coming back.

And is on here and posting just as much as me, so if you don't like him because of that, I hope that you don't like me either. It's not even worth it, discussing your seemingly draconian views of autism.

Really? A guy posting 20+ times a day on MGoBlog is "suffocating you"? Dude, you need thicker skin or something.

He definitely is a frequent posters, but he also is a generally good poster and a good guy, who has good things to say and adds things the discussion. Unlike another who act like a 7 year olds, whining about worthless things, and negging everything.

What is the point of this attack?! It is an attack, and it's a bit of a personal one too. Why? You are entitled to an opinion, of course, but how does one garner this opinion about someone he doesn't even know?

All of what you just stated equates to you being on here just as often. It was a bit of a stalker-ish rant.

I could not disagree with you more. I respect the Hell out of what JGB has to say and he seldom does anything to inflame an ongoing discussion. He actually seems like someone who doesnt want the limelight as he limits his responses to referenced facts and his opinions.

The fact that I have no clue of who you are and anything you've ever said or done speaks volumes about your contribution to this board and the fact that you chose BiSB's farewell post to take a shot at someone else speaks even louder about the kind of person you are.

Anytime anyone at all posts anything that threatens the collective hivemind of the MGoBoard, people like you give them a nice WELL FUCK YOU THEN. There is no place on these boards for any sort of logical discussion. Not anymore anyways. And its because of peolpe like you that take this shit so serious like its a personal affront to your own life. "Disparaging it with your remarks"?? Really?? Maybe try relaxing a bit. Get some fresh air.

And before you go about calling me out for "only joining a few weeks ago...WTF do you know?!?" I've been on this site for years -- back before Brian moved it to the new site. So I have seen the board change (for the worse), thank you very much. The only reason I have a new account is that the old one was banned after I too reached my breaking point after a night of drinking. Lesson learned.

You know what? You're right AND you make excellent points. Have a cookie and feel special, because you've earned it, buddy!

"I enjoy this board" and other caveats apply, but it IS funny that people say "we can't have discussions anymore, because people are stupid." and then turn around and say "we're the smartest board online."

or, "we don't like the MLive stuff because too many people complain" and then complain about "other stupid people on this board"

or, "We don't like multiplicity in the comments" and then laud Heiko and Brian for constantly pressing the "Borges, use the screen" meme.

Get a sense of humor. People are hypocrites, so don't get mad, just laugh. You can't change stupid people any more than the Pharoahs could.

During that time, the people who stick around and post are generally the more enjoyable posters and intelligent discourse is much more prevalent than at these times. Additionally, I feel as if the quality of posts and the temperament of the board is much worse than during the last season, although they may have to with the 3 losses, more than anything. Quality posts are less common and it seems as if people are getting into ridiculous arguments at a much higher rate, filled with a lot more anger than necessary. People don't attack opposing arguments anymore, but instead they attack the person. Nonsensical behavior is just at a high point right now and it gets pretty annoying.

Thanks for your service, BiSB. Congrats on the baby. I nominate LSA Class of 2000 for mod.

"It would be a travesty, it would be ridiculous to all of a sudden come back and get the feeling back, get the health back, feel good again and then all of a sudden go throw some other colors on my shirt and go coach."

Although this is a good idea, it could be exploited. Some posters have serial-negbangers—a person who downvotes them repeatedly no matter what, despite having generally high quality posts. This would then give a poster essentially the ability to silence someone they don't like, by removing a large chunk of their points, and if they are extremely persistent remove all their points and make them unable to start threads.

It could also kill dissenting voices on emotional topics, and that's not good. A bunch of riled-up mgobloggers could essentially silent a voice of reason.

I'm thinking about the Demar Dorsey situation as one example. There was a staggering amount of mis-information flying around and people were pretty heated up. I could easily imagine the Director of Admissions himself coming in to post useful, factual stuff (not that he would, but suspend disbelief for a moment) that would correct the prevailing view--and immediately being stripped of hundreds of points in the heat of the moment.

Phineas: Removing prepositions makes it more condescending.

and I disagree. While both your and A2's points are very valid, they are the outlier scenarios I think. I know that people tend to pile on from time to time, however I don't think it has ever progressed to the point where it would destroy somebody's account. Here are a few thoughts:

The most offensive threads usually get about 50-80 downvotes. This is perfect, because it will discourage someone from posting something stupid/offensive/inappropriate/misdirected after working so hard to accumulate 500 points.

While there are people who make a concerted effort to downvote specific others whenever possible, the threshold of 500 would require someone to have been around for a long enough time to be able to vote. I would hope that this person would have learned to not be an asshole by that point. If not, mods could handle that type of situation on a one-off basis.

In general, the long time posters (1,000 points+) have a good grasp on the rules. With the 500+ rule, these people would essentially do the moderating with their individual votes. This would essentially create a trusted user status as determined by your peers. If you are willing to spend the time to earn the points, they will know you well enough to trust you.

In relation to your point about being the voice of reason and getting slammed by a group of trolls, that would likely not happen as much. Upon accumulating 500 points, most people have realized that this is not a place to come simply to bitch. The likelihood of multiple 500+ users getting cranky and piling on is slim and with the reduced number of people eligible to vote, the damage would be much less.

Will you give me a pile of unearned points? Think of it like a Presidential pardon. Yeah, those guys are totally guilty but they gave a bunch of money to the campaign and you aren't running again anyway.

PS. Bringing back the old point system might prevent a future moderator meltdown. Let us police each other. We won't abuse it...I swear.

Maybe it's not the board. Maybe it's living in South Bend. I can't imagine being there this season is easy. Also, maybe you're experiencing a sympathy hormone surge from your wife's pregnancy. In any event, best of luck on the birth, and hopefully your reasonable ways will be back after the baby is sleeping through the night. You're going to need an escape. Trust me.

So you're saying you don't expect to see him until sometime after March Madness, when the baby weighs about 12 lbs (give or take)? Personally, I suspect it will be much earlier ... Like during those 3 AM feedings when his choices for entertainment are either MGoBlog or TV ads for Extenze.

BiSB,
You've consistently been one of my favorite posters on the board since I've started coming here a couple years back. I'm sad to see you go, but at the same time, I absolutely understand where you're coming from (especially with a kid on the way). The board has been infuriating in the last few days, and I'm sure that's been hell for the Mods. I hope you still comment here/maintain some sort of presence, rather than doing a full TomVH-esque disappearance. I just wanted to thank you for all you've done for the community in your time here. Best of luck, Bisbiño.

As mgoblog becomes more popular, you have to expect more idiots to register and post. Obviously it's annoying as shit, especially after games, but that is the beauty of the forum. I kind of enjoy stupid posts and their OPs getting ripped to shreds. It deters future stupid posts. (You would think, right?) So my question is why do those posts get locked? Do they consume way too much bandwidth for a very unnecessary reason?

Whatever the case, thank you for your moderating and wish you the best.

Also, I'd like to take this opportunity to shamelessly plug my Ultra-MGoBoard Chrome Extension. It's linked in my signature, and will let you hide any posters you want so you never have to see their ridiculous comments. Works pretty well if I do say so myself, I haven't seen anything from about 30 posters for quite a while.

Took me a while to figure out where the Options link is found, but once I did, I found it works really well. Go ahead and ask BiSB for a nice, parting gift of +10,000,000 points, but don't spend it all in one place.

I've started visiting less and less over the season. But that's equal part other members and Brian worried about music, matching away jerseys, and the "why don't we try Bellomy" meme early in the season.

It's Brady's second season and he's 18-5. I'll take that without all the bitching.

To be honest I am a new member so I have no clue who you are. But, I really enjoy being on this board and having the chance to communicate with other Michigan fans. It sucks being a UM fan living in CT....all I hear about are the Jets, Giants, and Patriots...they don't even like the college version here...it's awful. Anyways, I hate to see anyone go because of the negative attitudes of the board. One the one hand, it's terribly difficult to watch the team you love struggle repeatedly and not voice that frustration. It takes a lot of patience and maturity not to let your emotions speak. However, I like most, have allowed that to happen many times. I can only imagine that has taken place more in the last 5 years than in the previous 20 (not sure how long this board has been up). But, I would just ask that you try to have a positive attitude while remembering that often times when people do stupid stuff, it's often the same thing we'd do in their situation. That doesn't make it any better, but it does make us human. We all show love, pride, and support as well as frustration, dissapointment, and hatred.

Strength equipment is expensive and guarantees you nothing. A strong will is free and can give you everything you want.

Good call BiSB. I still read the blog, but have not posted as much since my first was born a year ago. The time commitment truly does change. I couldn't even imagine what it must be like when you actually have to care about what gets posted.

"It would be a travesty, it would be ridiculous to all of a sudden come back and get the feeling back, get the health back, feel good again and then all of a sudden go throw some other colors on my shirt and go coach."

I have ALL THE SOLUTION: return to the simple up and down vote, bring back the negbangs. The kind that actually influence the meaningless number underneath a user's name.

When we had these things, believe it or not, it improved the community's collective moderation powers and was surprisingly effective. Now that 20% of any thread is sitting at the -1 threshold, and none of it has any impact on your High Score Bro, the moderators have to pick up the slack once shouldered by the community.

Sad to see you go. I agree that the board has turned a little in the past couple of weeks, but I still think the nadir was during the latter part of the RR era when people just lost their minds every day.

This place can have civil discussions, and most people do. The couple of nimrods who learned about this site from someone at work and thought their MLive personalities would play well here are idiots, and I'll throw my entire tough-guy Internet reputation behind that. We have enough sports radio stations for people to be goobers at, but MGoBlog is supposed to be a cut above.

Your frustration is understandable, though I think this is what happens when a blog breaks through as clearly the go-to place for Michigan sports. You no longer just get people with a certain sense of humor, style, brain, etc. -- you get a much larger and more representative portion of the internet-active Michigan fan base. As much as everyone dumps on MLive, I hope that site thrives, if only to provide two very different Michigan sites for attracting different types of Michigan fans.

Good luck with the family, and I hope that you continue to post in your new role as a non-mod normie.

You will participate in nothing for the rest of your life that will have as much fundamental human importance.

As for the issues on the site, I think it's far, far, far from being MLive. However, it is closer to that hellhole than it used to be, and I think the decline stems from two factors:

1). MGoBlog is an amazing internet success, and therefore falls prey to the fact that the internet is flypaper for morons. You can't avoid it entirely if you have message boards.

2). The change several months ago to a system wherein idiot comments are not truly dealt with via community policing. On occasion it could be cruel, but in general the idiots received quick punishment via negbanging. One problem with MGoBlog that has never been dealt with is gratuitious negging, wherein some routinely neg other commenters, regardless of what the nature of the comment is. IMHO There should be an individual cost to negging, and should include the temporary loss of posting privileges if it's abused beyond a certain stage. Points themselves should not be important except as a measure of the ability to post and comment.

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." — Mencken

I agree that a system whereby stupid posts (not just comments) could be democratically deleted would be great. It would keep embarassing or brainless stuff off the site without the need for constant policing by mods. Perhaps if a post gets -50 net points it's automatically deleted, and if a poster gets a sufficient number of net downvotes that poster gets banned.

The only problem with this is that the idiots could still post late at night when there aren't enough users around, but perhaps that wouldn't be a big deal.

It's probably worth emphasizing that although we all love freedom of speech, an individual website that allows complete freedom to its denizens stops being a place for reasonable people to hang out as soon as it gains a modicum of popularity. The internet breeds assholes. It's not "censorship" to keep such trash from overrunning one's community. Mods are the janitors of the internet. There are plenty of internet sites that don't have janitors, so it's not like there's nowhere to throw your shit just because you can't do it here.

Can I have a million points too!? Hate to see ya go BiSB, you've been one of my favorite mods BC you're so involved in all the discussions. Hope you reconsider after so much deserved down time. And congrats in advance!!!

Thank you BiSB for your contribution to this blog. I have a greater appreciation for the time the mgoblog employees/contributors and the mods spend here now. I was inspired at one point to provide a weekly contribution to this blog, but have found time to be too short as of late. High quality, well informed, and humorous posters make this blog one of the best out there. You are one of those that make this a better place.

I wish you the best with your new baby and leave you with this final thought -

I appreciare the explanation and am sorry you reached the breaking point. The problem is that the people who are going to care about this thread are not the ones who are causing the problems. The jerks are not going to read it, or they are going to interpret it as a huffy flounce, or they are simply going to be pleased that there is one less jackbooted thug mod around here.

Congrats and good luck on the little one. Honestly, I don't think the board is getting worse, I think it just goes through phases. I remember a couple years ago, I told a friend not to waste his time going on MGoBlog, because it had turned into a bunch of whining bitches. Eventually, I came back, the board seemed better and all was good. If you can't mod, so be it. But trust me, you will spend some late nights checking MGoBlog once the little one gets here. The wife and I are expecting one this month (#2) so I look forward to the late night reading.

between voicing an unpopular opinion and being a troll. The problem is that most trolls don't know the difference.

People are free to post unpopular stuff. Section 1, who I disagree with almost every time he posts, and who is about as contrarian as anyone, remains free to post despite being negged at every turn. What people CAN'T do is post threads designed to start fights. For example, starting a thread to bitch about a decision from the offseason that came to fruition 15 days ago, and throwing in a RichRod reference for good measure, is a recipe for disaster.

I do find it hilarious that after a full year of "WHY DOES BRIAN HATE HOKE SO MUCH HE'S BEING UNREASONABLE," we've moved swiftly into "WHY DOES BRIAN LOVE HOKE SO MUCH HE'S BEING UNREASONABLE"

As a Moderator on one of the largest GM Camaro sites and as a former Admin/Mod on the largest Turbo Buick site I can relate to what you are feeling and are going through.

Sometimes things will drive you mad and other times you will do the same to others. Either way, life goes on and at some point you'll realize that none of this means much in the grand scheme of things.

I was drawn to this site because the level of discourse, general intelligence, and overall fairness far exceeded any other college board I've visited. And there's some excellent non-sports content posted as well.

I try to post and give a "different perspective" when possible and it seems like as long as I can back up what I say, with the exception of a few taboo topics, my opinion is generally respected. I've even had Michigan fans defend my opinion, you never see that on other boards.

I've been registered for 2 1/2 years, maybe things were better before then, but Michigan football went through a pretty tough transition (I can relate, some of the posts I've read here were identical to Nebraska's during our problems), I think that explains much of the bad behavior when it occurs.

Sure, there are bad days when too many people overreact and say crazy stuff, naturally people will vent at certain times, but you guys have a great board, the smart and thoughtful posts far outweigh the stupid ones. Most of the time you get it right.

Long time lurker, first time poster (I forgot the password for my [long since used] email, so I had to make a new one).

Sorry to hear that the daily wear and tear of being a mod has brought you down, but I just wanted to let you know that many people here really appreciated your work here.

On behalf of lurkers everywhere, we respected and appreciated the unique viewpoints you provided for this site. Hopefully you can continue to contribute to this site despite resigning from your post. If you can't find it in yourself to continue to be an active member of the MGoBlog Community, live long and prosper!

Thank you for everything you've done here. I've always enjoyed your posts. Sorry to see you go. Why people refuse to understand that this is Brian's site and he can do what ever the hell he wants to (including deleting posts and comments he disagrees with, either himself or through the mods) is something I will never understand. It's his site. Don't like it? Find another site or start your own. I'm betting that the failure to understand that simple point contributes to 99% of the headaches you've had whole doing your job here. Good luck with the little one and hope to still see you around as "normal" poster.

I have been coming to mgoblog long enough, lurking for a couple years and joining a while back, to see posters and readers and protocol change significantly. There are many formerly active board members who have moved on, or who have made peace with just staying in the background. I understand, and have cut way back on posting myself.

It isn't easy being a moderator. Sometime, a long time ago, I posted a thankyou to ALL the mods who do such a good job. I don't think everyone here understands what a pain it must be to be a moderator. You guys have to read through every stinking post on every stinking thread. If you say anything in the least construed as negative, people get their shorts in a wad.

I've sometimes wondered about what makes mgoblog "good," and what would cause it to dengenerate. Of course, everyone has a different opinion. The points thing is a two edged sword. As Brian and mods have said, who really cares about points?

Having said that, I'm beginning to wonder if a return to "points" in the old days before the board melted down from some kind of attack would be a good thing. I don't completely like the "group think" aspect of points, but if the board community speaks, well, wouldn't that make things easier for moderators?

Maybe if the old system points came back, mods could focus on giving bonus chunks of points to thoughtful and well argued posts which espouse an unpopular position? I dunno.

I also think that more personal accountability is a good thing. When people have to stand behind what they say instead of this anonymous internet tough guy stuff, it makes people a bit more civil.

Regardless, thanks for your service to the board, your wit, your contributions. They will be missed.

“Top to bottom Michigan is about excellence, greatness. You have my pledge I will carry forward the excellence of Michigan football." Jim Harbaugh, December 30, 2014

I think the mods all work hard at an utterly thankless job. Sorry to see you go but I totally get it. As much as we all love MGoBlog, raising your kid(s) is fantastically more important, fun and rewarding. Like others, I agree that letting the MGoCommunity moderate this site will be effective. Power to the people and all that.

I always appreciated your sense of humor, and your MOD work. You will be missed. Good luck with the baby. I hope you at least pop in to say hello to the board once in a while, and deliver one of your nice quick-witted jabs.

Sorry to see you go, BiSB. It gets tough modding when so many unujustifiably assert that any moderation is "censorship of unpopular dieas" and "groupthink," but that's the internet for you. I am of the opinion that everyone should be forced to be a discussion group moderator for a year somewhere, and no one should be asked to do it longer than that.

Thanks for your contributions, and I hjope you stay as an ex-mod. You have paid your dues, and have more than earned your ex-mod-dom.

MGoBlog is different, and for the better. Having said that, I do think the mods need to chill a bit and let people post. As long as there is no obscenties or overt trolling/flamebaiting, let people post, man.

As a former moderator of the site,I sympathize with and agree with what you say.

But may I suggest, to any mod, that this thread get locked at this point? A 200 post thread debating the merits of BiSB, and the status of the boards devolution doesn't seem, to me, to serve any purpose. Best case is that it becomes a sort of obnoxious hagiography of BiSB and the more cynical posters can accuse him of martyring himself (I'm not saying this was his intent)

Honestly thank you for your mostly thankless job. But also, I'm glad to see you moving on (not trying to be a dick, though I suppose I am being one). I like a moderating hand, but not a controlling, snarky, its'about-me moderator - which at times I felt that you were. I say that fully knowing that I could *not* do the job you have done. I get that. But I'm also being honest b/c I think this opinion is healthy for the board to discuss - how do we want our mods moderating?

It's what makes this site so tremendous when it's at it's best. And it's also what makes it so messy and divisive when it's at it's worst. Whether or not this is a good era for the blog or a bad one largely depends on your own personal opinions of those who are making the most noise, and their own attitudes, for better or worse. The blog is evolving again...

I am sure I will see you around, Blue, here or elsewhere... But thanks for a stellar job in the face of confusion.

For what it's worth, I don't know why you ever even cared. As a Mod, what you say is just the way it is. Thread not up to snuff? Get rid of it. Bad post? Get rid of it. Bad poster? do what you gotta do. They complain? Why would you care?

I have been a reader for a few years, and I have posted a few times, but i always appreciated how quickly you shut down the idiots and posts that were destined for failure. Good luck with everything, and as a parent of two kids under three, definate good luck with that. Parenthood is the greatest adventure you can ask for.

I very rarely post here, but just wanted to say thanks for the effort and time. I'm not really involved in the community but I quite enjoy the game day events, which can only happen because of vigilant mods.

You were the best mod in the live blog. You kept all of us up to date on the play by play. Many of us have to work weekends and it is great following the action in the live blog. I thought you did the best updating us on all the plays of the game. Thanks!

"True loyalty is that quality of service that grows under adversity and expands in defeat. Any street urchin can shout applause in victory, but it takes character to stand fast in defeat. One is noise - the other, loyalty." — Yost

Who posts once ever two months. You've said you'll still post, so that's good. Too many mods have quit and disappeared as a poster too (though not doing it as much when the kid comes is understandable).

Used to be the powers that be were the mods, with a couple of volunteer helpers. Now it seems like the mods do the board work and then inform them because what's going on at the site is so much bigger than it used to be. And it's their (kind hearted) goal to give everyone a say that's the problem. It's not a public place. It's a private site. Putting up with jackasses wastes everyone's time, annoys everyone, and wears out mods. People like that poster who come on twice in 9 weeks just to stir up trouble, Bolivia is a waste of time and just puts off the inevitable. Ban their ass. The site is big enough now that they're not going to bankrupt it over page hits. Not a long time, generally good contributor who has a bad post or night. But people who contribute nothing but one track venom.

Eventually Brian's going to have to weigh his sense of fair play for jackasses vs. mods and other good posters saying enough is enough. Which does he value more? Because in democracy we have to put up with morons saying what they want; but you don't have to put up with it in your own house.

If MGoBoard were a job and getting banned was the equivalent of getting fired, I feel like you could miss an entire week of work, show up drunk 4 or 5 times, and assault a fellow co-worker before finally getting the axe. The kicker is, that's the leash for people with little or no caché with the company, just new hirees off the street.

Our public library used to have a room where adults could sit and read and talk and smoke while the kids sang and did kid stuff. I wish the Internet had such a place, although adult reading rooms on the Internet are a much different thing.

Making voting that powerful is something I disagree with for 2 reasons...

1. It creates an environment where dissenting opinion on a certain issue is going to be discouraged. If there is a raging topic of 10 guys just whining their butts off about say out of conference scheduling and you don't agree with their position, you're going to be far less willing to jump into that topic and contribute knowing that you will most likely be downvoted within minutes.

2. There are plenty of posters on this blog with ALOT of mgo points who are lazy and immature posters. that means they will have just as much power to down vote and handicap others as the good posters with lots of points.

I was around in the long long ago, when the voting system actually meant something. People with unpopular opinions might have seen a few downvotes thrown their way, but no one was ever negbombed or silenced for having an unpopular opinion, and they aren't now either.

The occasions when posters with a dissenting opinion get negbombed are as follows:

*When they're being dicks about their unpopular opinion.

*When they whine about the "hive mind" being against them.

*When they whine about MGoPoints.

*When they exhibit a martyr complex with regard to their opinion ("I know I'm going to be negged for this, but it needs to be said..." "I'm going to educate all of you fools who just don't want to accept the TRUTH!" Dahblue is a prime example of a poster who continuously does this.).

So it basically comes down to "don't be a dick" or self important, and you'll do just fine. People are more than willing to upvote unpopular or dissenting opinions, especially when they are well thought out and/or have some sort of statistical backing.

The problem is when people with obvious/stupid/whiny/bitchy opinions think that they're being victimized by downvotes because their posts go against the hive mind, when in reality, they're being downvoted because they have obvious/stupid/whiny/bitchy opinions. 99% of negbombings based on the poster having an unpopular opinion fall into this category.

I thought you did an excellent job policing the masses BiSB, but as the father of a 19 month old little girl, I can say without hesitation, you will NOT have time to deal with babysitting this place once your little bundle of joy arrives. Congratulations to you and your wife and best of luck.

Dude, if someone else posted something, about how they were leaving, nobody would give TWO fucks. But when a guy with a good track record here, does it, thats okay? Look I spend a lot of time on this board trolling the irrational assholes, and in this case BISB acted like an irrational asshole.

You don't wanna be a mod? Well don't be a mod.

From high atop my MGoThrone ,I have sat and judged all you bastards unworthy.

Dude, your trolling "irrational assholes" is going to get you sent on an all-expenses paid trip to Bolivia. Why don't you let us handle the "irrational assholes" and you go ahead and stop trolling. We already have moderators on the board - we don't need your help. (FWIW, this kind of crap is exactly what pissed BiSB (and me, to be honest) off enough to quit his role.)

I used to read every post on the board, along with most/all of the comments. I have nowhere near that commitment now. I pick the topics that interest me and stick to those alone. There's way too much nonsense on here with all the gifs and repetitive comments.

Good for you for walking away.

I have imagined what it would be like to walk away, but so far I haven't found a big enough reason. It will happen sometime, though.

Congrats on the impending parenthood, BiSB. But honestly, I'm glad you're no longer a mod -- now that fascism is dead and Hitler has been deposed (how did this thread go so long without this reference?), I'll be able to find out when Tool is coming to the Palace!

I've been on a few internet posting sites, and the ones that are "wide open" where anyone can post anything are THE WORST.

Making an honest effort to limit what gets posted to either something informative, attempted humor, or attempted logic--none of which include douchebaggery--is what keeps this site a cut above the rest. We don't need more threads; we already have plenty. We need good Mods to help keep this site good.

Thanks BiSB, for your service, and I hope that whoever takes your place continues to limit the board to relevant/hilarious content only.